Troubleshooting 4K and HDR on Xbox One S

First, make sure you have an Xbox One S and a 4K TV, and check your TV's capabilities.

To see if you have an Xbox One S, look on the back of your console. On the right side, near the network port, there should be a sticker that reads "Xbox One S." If that sticker is missing, check the bottom of the console for a sticker that reads "Xbox One Console." An Xbox One console without the "S" does not support 4K.

Important Eject any discs and turn your console off before turning it over.

To see if you have a 4K TV, refer to the packaging or manual for your TV. Different manufacturers use different names. Here are some things to look for:

If your system should support 4K and HDR but it isn't working (for example, you can't select the 4K UHD resolution, 4K features aren't supported in the 4K TV details screen, 4K content won't play, or you're seeing video quality problems), here are some things to try:

Make sure the console is automatically detecting your TV. Press the Xbox button to open the guide and choose Settings > All settings. Select Display & sound > Advanced video settings and choose Auto-detect. 4K isn't available when HDMI or DVI is manually selected.

For HDR, make sure your TV supports the HDR10 media profile. Check your TV manual to verify. Some manufacturers may not mention HDR10—look for support of BT2020 and HDR, or some of the names in the previous list. (Also, there are two HDR formats: Dolby Vision and HDR10. Your TV can support both, but it must at least support HDR10.)

Make sure your HDMI cable is plugged into the correct port on your TV. Some 4K TVs only support their full set of 4K features on specific HDMI ports. Refer to your TV manual to see if there are special 4K HDMI ports, or try the different ports on your TV.

Check your TV's settings menu. Your TV might have a special mode that turns on 4K or HDR. Refer to your TV manual to see if you must change your TV's settings. Again, your TV manufacturer may use different names for HDR—see the previous list.

If some content won't play, make sure your TV supports HDCP 2.2 and that it's turned on in your TV's settings.

Make sure you're using the HDMI cable that was included with the Xbox One S.

Try a different HDMI cable. Your cables must be HDMI High Speed or HDMI Premium certified.

If a device is plugged in between your TV and console, remove it and plug your TV directly into your console with the HDMI cable that was included with the Xbox One S. Some AV receivers or other video equipment may interfere with the data passed between console and TV—your device must support the same capabilities as your TV, either directly or as pass-through. Also, you must use HDMI High Speed or HDMI Premium certified cables between both the console and receiver, and the receiver and TV.

Make sure your TV and AV receiver firmware are up to date. Many newer TVs and devices can take updates—if you find that it doesn't support some 4K or HDR features, a TV or receiver firmware update may resolve the problem. Check your TV or device manual to see how to update the firmware.

If you're seeing a blank screen or errors while trying to play 4K content and you've tried all of the previous steps, turn native 4K playback off to try to play the content in a lower resolution. In Settings > Display & sound > Advanced video settings, clear Allow 4K.